Regenerative Farming | Farm Molly

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Farm Facts

DESCRIPTION

Eastern Sandveld.

ENTERPRISE

Cattle production with some game.

PROPERTY SIZE

9764 hectares.

FUNCTIONAL CLASSIFICATION OF AREA

Moderately aggressive bush-thickening; sandy soils; heavy frost.

AVERAGE ANNUAL RAINFALL AND VARIABILITY

(Over the past 55 years) Average: 365 mm; lowest: 147 mm; highest: 850 mm.

ELEVATION

1200 metres above sea level.

OWNED OR RENTED

Owned; full-time management.

MOTIVATION FOR CHANGE AND APPROACH

When the Metzgers took over the farm in 1995, they operated with small stock at the homestead and cattle in larger camps. However, over time they observed that the animal numbers were decreasing and grass production reducing each year. Something needed to be done or they would go out of business.

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MAIN INNOVATION

Split Ranch Management Approach.

Forage for animals: The average amount of available grass and browse in kilograms per hectare is 805 and 446, respectively, giving a total of 1251 kg/ha of available forage to the livestock.

Tree density: The average woody tree density is 2234 TE/ha.

Biodiversity: The grass and bush component is made up of 15 and 11 perennial species, respectively. The Biodiversity Index of the farm is a medium value (0.5), which indicates that a few species are starting to dominate the grass and shrubs component growing on the farm.

Key Results

The Split Ranch Approach provides a sound framework. By
sticking to the rules and broad principles, it is easy to manage
and stress-free.
No losses to predators due to a constant human presence and movement throughout the livestock-occupied camps on a daily basis, calves being handled early on to transfer the smell of humans, and donkeys accompanying the cows during the calving period.
The production per hectare was maintained between 7.5-8.3 kg/ ha from 2011 to 2022, using no urea and a bush-promoting lick.
Achieved a fertility rate of 78% over the twelve-year period with limited provision of lick. No urea is provided with the lick.
During the drought in 2019, 40% of the herd needed to be de- stocked, which is recovering well after the drought.
The resource base is improving with the return of perennials, and resilience has increased.
Limited losses to poisonous plants and minimal tick control is required because of long rest periods.
No major infrastructure costs are required and other costs remain the same. Some saving is possible due to lower lick and tick-control costs

Farm Molly

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Mario and Karin Metzger have
operated a successful cattle
farm under the Split Ranch
Management Approach for
the past 11 years.

Key Tips

The Split Ranch Management Approach is a good approach. It allows for the simplification of management. Although it is also suitable for part-time farmers, we believe that the approach requires you to be present.
Get expert advice when you start. This is expensive but worthwhile.
Start off as a weekend farmer with a supplementary source of income until you have built your herd and established the farm, then move into full-time management. Alternatively, you could rent a farm to build up stock, and then buy a farm.
Employ good, reliable staff and support them well. The cattle men need to be experienced and dedicated; however, you also need to motivate, supervise and support them. There needs to be precise and firm routines that everybody sticks to, on a daily, weekly and monthly basis.
The Split Ranch Approach is easy but this does not mean that you can sit at home – you still need to know and control what is happening on the farm.
It is very important to move among your cattle, to have a presence in the camps, to drive the boundaries to check fences and movement, to count the cattle at least once a month, and to fi nd those who are missing. Presence deters predators!
The Split Ranch Approach provides a sound framework, but you need to stick to the rules and broad principles. If you make amendments, these must be done in a well-considered, structured way and not out of panic.
Game numbers must be kept low to enable recovery.
When you start, do not make your selec- tion criteria too strict. Keep cows to build numbers faster and to have better cash fl ow and only then select more rigorously at a later stage.

Approaches

RESILIENCE OF THE FARM

Ecological and fi nancial resilience during and after the 2019 drought. 40% destocking occurred and a 10 LSU/ ha was maintained throughout the drought.

MONEY-MAKING POTENTIAL OF THE FARM

An average of 78% cattle calving was maintained throughout the twelve- year period. The live weight produced on the farm during the twelve-year period was 7 kg/ha. Both of these factors indicate a business aff ected by the drought but recovering.

CHOICE OF ANIMAL/S

Calves in 2021 and weaners in March 2022. The animals have learned to browse bush, on which they perform well. Although the water is of poor quality, the animals manage well on it. The mother stock handles predators well. Selection is very strict and based on fertility; if a cow loses a calf then the cow is sold.